Spellbound for Glory: Siouxsie Sioux 65

We interrupt the pathetic sausagefest that is my page with a birthday tribute to one of the true icons.

I met her once, you know. In a backstage area before a concert. True to her reputation, she was exceedingly contemptuous of everyone.

Paradoxically, this only made me like her more.

The concert was incredible, too. This was in 1988, I think.

Now we blink and the Punk priestess and godmother of Goth is turning 65 today.

One of the original British Punks -- didn't the Banshees open the first Sex Pistols performance? -- to actually have more to say than three chords and a gob of spit, she -- as much as any other figure -- defined the transition to Post Punk.

I guess it boils down to her one-of-a-kind voice, and that no one before or since has sounded anything like her, unless they're a one-dimensional imitator.

Anyway Siouxsie Sioux -- born Susan Ballion this day in 1957 -- has been doing it for 45 years at a very lofty level, and we are here to celebrate her milestone b'day.

And let's do precisely that with her legendary appearance on the German show Rockpalast, in the company of shredtastic guitarist John McGeoch and supporting 1981's pinnacle Juju album.

Siouxsie & The Banshees

Rockpalast

Sartory-Säle 

Köln, Germany

7.19.1981

01 WDR introduction

02 Israel

03 Halloween

04 Regal Zone

05 Spellbound

06 Arabian Knights

07 Switch

08 Pulled to Bits

09 Head Cut

10 Tenant

11 Night Shift

12 Sin In My Heart

13 But Not Them

14 Voodoo Dolly

15 Hong Kong Garden

16 Eve White/Eve Black

17 Happy House

18 Skin

Total time: 1:14:25

Siouxsie Sioux - vocals, percussion & guitar

John McGeoch - guitar

Steve Severin - bass

Budgie - drums & percussion

192/48K audio extracted from a 1997 WDR-TV rebroadcast

remastered, repaired, tracked & converted to 16/44 CD Audio by EN, May 2022

495 MB FLAC/May 2022 archive link

I'll be back in 48 hours with something for a recently-departed Maestro.

Don't sleep on Siouxsie tho.... she will keep you Spellbound.--J.